Sticking to Your New Year’s Resolutions
2018 is just around the corner, and the majority of Americans are thinking about goals they’d like to achieve in the new year. Weight loss, dieting, and other self-improvement goals are the most common, but New Year’s resolutions are notorious for crashing and burning by February. In this blog post, we’ll give you a few tips that will help you to both keep and achieve your goals in 2018. Contact Midtown Trainers today if you’re thinking about setting a weight loss goal or would like to invest in personal training in Atlanta! Our professional and caring staff is here for you, whatever you goals for the new year might be.
Start Small
It might sound counterintuitive, but the easiest changes to make are the ones that don’t require much change at all. If you’re trying to cook at home instead of going out to eat, try staying at home to cook just one or two times more each week than usual. You can always work your way up to more days each week, but you can set yourself up for success by maintaining your routine and making small, incremental changes.
Go Easy on Yourself
Birthdays, treats at the office, and happy hour can all start to seem like your enemies when you’re trying to lose weight or clean up your diet. Many people become discouraged and feel like failures when they break their routines by having a slice of cake or by going out for drinks rather than going to the gym.
Perfection is unattainable, and studies have regularly shown that viewing your goals in an all-or-nothing way is incredibly counterproductive. Rather than viewing a cheat day as a complete failure and giving up on your goals, visualize the big picture and think about all of the successful days that you’ve had. Taking a step back and viewing your progress as a long-term trend will show you that small missteps are nothing to worry about.
Track Your Progress
Most people tend to view their progress in a very narrow way; take weight loss as an example. We see ourselves in the mirror each and every day, which makes it difficult to visualize weight loss. We become accustomed to how we look in the present moment, and it can be hard to visualize where we started from.
You don’t have to work on your weight loss or fitness goals on your own. Midtown Trainers has helped hundreds of men and women in Atlanta with their personal goals, and we hope that we can help you with yours in the new year. We’re currently offering a free jumpstart session, which includes a one-on-one personal training session with one of our expert personal trainers. Contact us today and set yourself up for success in 2018.
A Workout Made for You
Searching for a workout can be incredibly daunting. One look online shows millions of results, often contradicting each other. And those big chain gyms aren’t much help, deploying a one size fits all type of mentality to their routines. Don’t despair! Midtown Trainers in Atlanta is here to help.
Working with one of our Executive Personal Trainers, you’ll receive a workout regimen curated specifically for you. They monitor your progress, plan with any past injuries or surgeries accounted for, and design a workout entirely based on your goals, experience, and comfort level. A generic workout plan can only do so much because it’s designed to cover all bases, but none of them particularly well. Your personalized workout routine is all about you and what you want to achieve. We use a goal system called SMART, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. That means that your initial goals will be within reach, but they need to be, as new goals are set every 3 weeks after evaluating your measurements and progress. This provides a sense of continued accomplishment, while always adding a new carrot at the end of your nose needed to continue pushing forward.
Our work doesn’t stop there though. Through continued progress tracking, your Executive Personal Trainer will help you set new goals as you crush your old ones. They’re going to be by your side through any ups and downs you may run into. They’re going to help you back up. They’re going to keep you moving forward. Our training experts know that motivation is one of the key ingredients needed for fitness success and are ready to be with you every step of the way. We only use positive reinforcement to encourage and motivate you. If you don’t feel good about what you’re doing, why would you continue to do it? We want you to feel good about your progress and achieving your goals.
We also provide nutritional support, which helps instill good eating habits moving forward. Topics covered include, hydration for weight-loss, what glycogen is, what the best type of detox is, protein supplements, and many other factors that food has on your health and fitness. We are so committed to helping you meet your goals, we can relocate a workout, or even do one remotely through Skype. Keeping a consistent schedule is important to get fit, so we also provide online scheduling so you are in control. We know that many people are motivated by competition, so we have weekly BURN Board Challenges, where you can compete for prizes.
If this all sounds good to you, contact us today to start your free JumpStart Session and get started on your road to better health!
Personal Training for a Busy Life
When you’re a busy woman here in Atlanta, it can be tough to find the right workout for you. Maybe you tried a class but didn’t feel like you got the individual attention you needed to achieve your fitness goals. Maybe you tried one of those national chains that made you feel like nobody knew who you were or why you were there. The fact is, you know what you want to get done, you just need someone that can help you get there. There’s good news though, Midtown Trainers is here for you.
Whether you’re looking for instruction on the best exercises to meet your goals or you just want a little extra motivation to push yourself further, we have the trainers for you. Our Executive Personal Trainers are fitness experts that only want to help you. They curate workouts specifically for you and your needs. Maybe your schedule won’t allow you to make it to the gym one day. With an Executive Personal Trainer, we can meet you at a nearby park or even conduct a workout over Skype while you’re at home. We know how important your life is to you. Work or family, we’ll work with you.
An Executive Personal Trainer can even help with nutrition and diet plans to instill healthy eating habits if you’re having trouble kicking the dreaded sugar demon off your back. Whatever your needs may be, we’ve got the best trainers for the job. We even offer training for special events like Tough Mudder and the Spartan Race if you’re looking to get in fighting shape for challenging obstacles and treacherous terrain. We can take you to the next level, bringing your strength and endurance to the highest of highs, preparing you for something both intense and exciting. We even offer specific training for the Battlefrog race if you’re looking for help preparing for the intense Navy Seal created obstacle course race.
If you’re interested in the best one on one personal training in Atlanta, call Midtown Trainers today to schedule your first JumpStart Session. That’s where we’ll check to see where you’re at, what level of exercise you’re comfortable with, and start setting your personal goals to begin your journey to greatness. From there, we’ll get to work crafting your individual workout and nutrition regimen. We’ll provide moral support, motivation, and lend our training expertise to you throughout everything. No matter what you want to achieve, we can help you. Period.
The Importance of Proper Form
Using Proper Form When Working Out
First of all, we want to give you props on starting your weight loss plan. It’s no easy feat to get it started, and it’s even harder to keep it going. Staying dedicated and consistent are some of the biggest hurdles for people to overcome. While working out and eating well are all great, it’s important to make sure that you’re working out well. One of the most important aspects of working out correctly is proper form. Here’s why.
You Want Results
Machines and exercises serve specific purposes. Making sure that you have the right form ensures that you are targeting the right muscles. Without the proper form, you could be working out the wrong muscles. This is a waste of time and energy, as you won’t be able to get the results you seek.
Severe Injury
Using improper form is one of the easiest ways to injure yourself. Lifting heavy weights the wrong way can lead to torn muscles, slipped discs, and other severe injuries. Oftentimes, the injuries from using improper form require surgery.
You Need to Create Good Habits
Muscle memory is a very real thing, especially when it comes to exercise. It is of the utmost importance that you use the right form with every single rep so that you can teach your body the movements it needs to make in order to continue working out well.
It’s Easier
Believe it or not, you make it much harder on yourself than it needs to be when you use improper form. Using the wrong form wastes energy that you could be using on exercises that actually work, rather than using it to over correct what you’re doing wrong.
It Feels Better
Hard work and exercise tend to have a painful edge to them, but when something is full-on painful there’s something wrong. If you’re working on an exercise and it starts to actually hurt (not just the burn from working hard), you should stop immediately to avoid injury. When you’re using proper form, it will feel much better than if you weren’t.
It’s More Beneficial
Using the proper form will actually give you what you’re looking for. Yes, the next day you will be sore, but you won’t be hurt. Your soreness is just your muscles building and you should embrace it by going to workout again and get all that lactic acid out.
It Allows You To Push Yourself
If getting in shape is important to you, then you know you really have to push yourself to get the best results. When using the proper form with every rep, you give yourself the opportunity to challenge yourself by adding weight or extra reps. However, you need to push yourself, do so, but make sure your form is right first.
If you’re not sure what the proper form for any exercise or workout is, you need to hire a personal trainer. Our fitness trainers here at Midtown Trainers are ready to take on your fitness needs and goals. We’ll help teach you what you need to know to have a successful weight loss plan. Get signed up with our fitness training program today!
Top Benefits of Hiring a Personal Trainer
Personal Trainers and The Benefits of Hiring One
“The time has come,” your body said. “To talk of many things. Of droops, your hips, and cellulite, and why do you have wings?” If this sounds like your self-talk as you look in the mirror, it might be time to hire a personal trainer. While it might seem as though hiring a personal trainer isn’t up your alley, we want to you take a look at the many benefits you can gain from hiring a personal trainer. It’s time to make a change, and your body agrees, so let’s explore the many reasons you should start fitness training if you haven’t already.
How Can A Personal Trainer Benefit You?
There are multiple ways a personal trainer can benefit your life, in fact, the positives seem endless. Here’s some of the top reasons to hire a fitness trainer to help you:
Weight Loss
If you’re truly committed to the plan your personal trainer set out for you, then you can guarantee you’ll see results. Your personal trainer has the knowledge and experience to give you exactly what you need, push you, and help you succeed. Put your trust in them and give your all with everything you do.
Muscle Gain
As you start to lose excess weight, you’ll also see something else happen: muscle gain. This means at one point, you’ll stop losing weight and start losing more inches. You’ll see a great gain in muscle tone, making your efforts become more apparent than ever.
Better Mental Health
A healthy body can lead to a healthier mind and vice versa. Exercise is said to release dopamine, which is a benefit in itself, but exercising on a regular basis can lead to an improved mood and increased happiness. Beyond that, once you start seeing results, you’ll feel a lot better about yourself as well. The combination of looking better and feeling better makes for the perfect cocktail of self-improvement.
Strength
As you begin to make strides in your fitness training plan, you’ll begin to feel stronger. You’ll make it up ten flights of stairs with no problems, and you won’t need your boyfriend to open jars for you either. With strength comes independence and triumph, and what could be a better benefit than that?
Avoid Plateaus
Those of us who have tried to lose weight and build muscle on our own have all experienced a plateau before, and working with a personal trainer doesn’t guarantee you won’t hit one. However, your trainer knows just the thing you need to keep you building strength, losing weight, and making strides. At one point, you’ll be looking back at your plateau with your new body wondering why you thought there was ever a hurdle.
Nutrition
Working with a personal trainer on a weight loss plan includes a nutrition plan as well. Your fitness trainer will make a meal plan for you that will help you fuel your workouts and teach you better eating habits as well.
Working with a personal trainer really does offer endless benefits. If you’re interested in getting started with fitness training, please don’t hesitate to contact the pros at Midtown Trainers today.
Weight Loss Plan Saboteurs
Don’t Let These Saboteurs Affect Your Weight Loss Plan
Welcome back! In our last blog, we discussed a couple different external forces that could be negatively affecting your weight loss plan. We specifically addressed
the effects that work and friends and family could keep you from stick to your plan. The influence of those with bad habits could be strong if you haven’t developed the right habits, so it’s important that you steer clear of those problems until you’re strongly developed in your good habits. Here are a couple more saboteurs for you to look out for when working with a personal trainer in Atlanta to lose weight.
- Media – Whether it’s advertising or a TV show, the way marketing companies and movies make food and drink look appealing can be extremely convincing. Watching certain movies or channels can lead you to develop cravings for unhealthy, high-calorie food, so be sure to wisely pick and choose what media you’re taking in.
- Vacations – You spent all this time working with your personal trainer to get your body ready for a bikini, why sabotage that physique by suddenly indulging in all things fatty and sweet just because you’re on vacation. Breaking your good habits while on vacation can lead to falling back into bad habits when you get home, so don’t let your vacation ruin your weight loss plan. But please, enjoy your vacation, just do it the smart way.
Work With A Personal Trainer To Develop Discipline
Now that you’re aware of the many ways that external forces can negatively affect your fitness training, be sure to be diligent in fighting these forces, and continue to be strong in your good habits. Eat healthy and don’t skip the gym for any reason.
If you need help developing good habits and a weight loss plan, don’t hesitate to consult with one of our Top Rated Local® personal trainers. We can develop a fitness training plan that will help you achieve your goals.
What Could Be Sabotaging Your Personal Training?
Personal Training and Developing Good Habits
When it comes to developing healthy habits, there is a multitude of things you could be doing to improve your health. With the access to information that we have today, you can find multiple outlets for creating weight loss plans on your own. Regardless of what you read on the internet for health and wellness, there are other external forces that could be sabotaging your healthy efforts. It’s important to know how to recognize theses saboteurs and how to combat them. Here are some things that could be negatively affecting your weight loss efforts and how you can fight them.
Saboteurs of Weight Loss Plans
- Friends and Family – This isn’t a dig at your loved ones. But if they aren’t on the same track as you, they could be ruining your efforts to get healthy.
Between happy hours and weekend plans, the unhealthy habits they exhibit can become your own and keep you from getting in shape. The best way to
combat this is by just saying no. Take a pass on the happy hour or high-calorie lunch as much as you can.
- Work – This is especially true if you have a desk job. If your sit for most of your day, find time to walk around. Make it a point to take a walk outside or around your office every couple of hours. You should also consider going for a run at lunch to stay super healthy!
Does this come as a surprise to you? If so, take a second to think about it. How often are you sitting at your desk and not doing anything to combat it? How often do your friends and family try to convince you to skip the gym and go drink instead? Answer honestly, and if you realize this is a frequent occurrence then it’s time to develop a backbone and just say no. Working with a personal trainer can help you learn better habits, including saying no to bad habits. Develop a weight loss plan today and stick to it. Call our fitness trainers in Atlanta today and start getting in shape.
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT PROPER FORM
Getting in shape is a long road to be traveled, especially if you have ignored your physical well being for a long time. But as you have a lot of ground to cover, that just means you have that much progress to make.
So now that you have hired a personal trainer, it’s important that you’re doing everything in your power to get back in shape and see that progress. One of the most important aspects of working out and personal training is to make sure that you’re using the right form. Here are the top six reasons you should be concerned with your form.
- Optimal Results – Using the right form when you’re working out takes discipline and focus. When you workout alone or with your trainer, using the proper form will challenge your muscles, causing them to work harder, and get better results.
- Muscle Memory – When you first start out with your personal trainer you might find that your form doesn’t look that great. This aspect of getting in shape only comes with time, and the more you do it, the more your muscles will recognize what the best form is and will continue to build on that path.
- Avoid Injury – Trying to rush the process or ignore it all together will not only lead to less than great results but more importantly, it can lead to injury. You could end up seriously hurting yourself if you don’t use the proper form, which is not only unhealthy, but it’s a setback. It could keep you from working out with your fitness trainer altogether.
- Avoid Lameness – It can be really tiring for your muscles to use the wrong form. Instead of using your muscles the right way, you expend energy on bad form, which means less reps and early exhaustion.
- Bad Muscle Form – Not lifting and working out properly can lead to muscles that don’t build and form properly. If you’re going for a bulky look, it’s important to follow the same movements, every time. Not doing so is less effective, and it will take more time to achieve the look that you seek.
- Encouragement – When you’re using the proper form, you build your muscles in a more effective way. This leads to overcoming challenges in the gym and with every triumph comes the belief that you can do it.
Getting the most out of your personal training plan is important to your progression. Eat well, practice the right form, and be committed to your health, and you and your personal trainer will see the results that you seek.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR PERSONAL TRAINER
Oftentimes, you hear of clients firing their personal trainers. It could be for a multitude of reasons, but it’s generally because they aren’t seeing the results that they wanted to see, or they just aren’t wanting to commit to the sessions anymore. Regardless of the reasons clients fire their personal trainers, it happens. However, it’s also true that fitness trainers can fire their clients. This might be news to you, however, it is a reality of being a personal trainer. As you sit and worry about your personal trainer’s ability to fire you, consider the fact that this is something that can be avoided. Here are the ways to keep your personal trainer from firing you.
- Be On Time – Because you are not their only client, it is important that you show up on time. Not doing so could end up pushing back other clients, in turn, making your personal trainer appear late to their other clients when it was actually you. Consideration for this is key.
- Work Hard – Getting back in shape is hard, if it were easy, everyone would do it. Even if you’re out of shape and it feels horrible to push yourself, continue to do so. It’s not until you feel pain, that you will see gain. A cliche, but true.
- Be Positive – A negative mindset will bring you down, in fact, it will make things much more difficult. On the other hand, a positive mindset will actually make things easier. It will help you to believe in yourself, and will push you further than you ever knew was possible.
- Stick With The Nutrition Plan – You could put in all the time you want at the gym, but if you aren’t doing work in the kitchen as well, your efforts will either fall flat or short of your personal training goals. Eat right and make your physical efforts worthwhile.
- Commit – Your personal trainer envisions a healthier and happier you. Helping people build the body they’ve always wanted is what drives personal trainers. They want to spread healthy minds and bodies to everyone they can, so you can believe they are committed. However, they cannot be more committed to your health than you. Don’t disappoint your personal trainer by not caring, or not showing up.
Creating a weight loss plan with a personal trainer is a positive experience. Dive into your fitness goals, and reap the benefits of being a happy and healthy person with a great body.
TO THIGH GAP OR NOT TO THIGH GAP
Let’s face it, you’re out of shape, which is why you’re here. And really, that’s just fine. Many of us are out of shape and need to get back into it. Everyday, we see fit people working out and getting their exercise, whether it’s on TV and in magazines, or in everyday society. What’s important to remember is one, everyone has a different body type with different issues, and two, what you see in the magazines isn’t always healthy. One of the infamous things you see magazines littered with are thigh gaps.
Why is this a problem?
Oftentimes, these thigh gaps on the models that grace the pages of magazines are photoshopped in. Meaning that your goals for getting in shape should be focused on getting healthy, not skinny. Fit is much sexier than sickly, and working for an unattainable thigh gap could pose health risks and take a toll on your weight loss efforts.
Another reason that thigh gap should not be your goal is because your personal trainer is looking to make you a physically strong individual. Thigh gap is actually associated with eating disorders and body dysmorphia, which goes beyond your physical health, and it affects your mental health in a negative way.
For some people, thigh gap will come with the growth of muscle, simply because they are losing weight, but they also have the body type and bone structure that allows for it to exist naturally and healthily. It should also be understood that even overweight people can have a thigh gap, but again, it has a lot to do with body type.
Instead of setting a goal to get skinny and attain a thigh gap, perhaps set a goal for strong, toned legs. Not only will you be much healthier, but your goals are more likely to be achieved. When you work with a personal trainer in Atlanta, they’ll help you to set realistic and healthy goals that will help you earn a body that’s strong, fit, and sexy. If you work hard, your personal training will be a success, and you won’t be worried about thigh gap any longer.
If you are interested in working with a fitness trainer on creating a weight loss plan, call the professionals at Midtown Trainers. They have the skill, certification, and knowledge to help you set healthy weight loss goals, but can also create a nutrition plan that will help you to achieve the strong and healthy body you once had.